Photos from Fiji
JJMoon Diary
Barry and Margaret Wilmshurst
Tue 22 Jul 2008 03:54
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Big boats and small
boats!
 Alvei is a 3 masted
tops'l schooner. We have come across her on several occasions.
The first was when there was an alert on the VHF and a rescue plane was sent out
to search for her as she headed for New Zealand last November. In fact
Alvei was not in any sort of trouble - she is just very slow and had her
radio switched off. This year she came up to Fiji from New Zealand at
about the same time as us. We took what we considered a normal time of 8
days; Alvei took 40 days! You know when she arrives as her "new"
diesel engine has this very loud throb that resounds off any rocky
peninsular in the area.
And the
smallest!
 We have all grown very fond
of this boat Carina which we first saw in the Galapagos. She is skippered
single handed by Adam, a young Hungarian. She is just 19ft
long. As Mags realises this is smaller than her own boat on lake Geneva
and yet Carina has ventured across oceans. Brave; foolish; bold?
Below is a picture of Vuda
Point Marina. It comprises a circular basin and is a very
pleasant stopping point. Almost all of us that visited here got seduced by
her charms.
 Vuda Point has all
the features that make a good marina including a small well run shop, fuel
berth, two hoists, a small chandlers, and in addition, a nice quiet resort hotel
just through the gate with a swimming pool and beauty
parlour. (Now you see how one can be seduced!) However, it is a
serious marina and is a good spot to, with fingers crossed, wait out the cyclone
season. Here below is a boat in its hurricane hole, well tucked in
just in case.
 In the last blog Barry
talked about the coincidence of discovering a boat in Fiji that he had
sailed for a weekend in England 30 years ago. This photo shows Barry
meeting John the new owner of Ondarina on the first occasion. We
later discovered that John had just lifted her from her cyclone
hole and had not yet sailed her. Barry could give
him encouragement that he had bought a good boat that sails
well.
 The
real Fiji. Enough of boats, here are some pictures of
Fiji.
 The market place at
Lautoka.
  On the left a sugar
cane train and on the right trucks queueing to unload their cargo of
sugar cane at the factory.
Back
to boats! Do we dare show you how sometimes one's laundry
gets displayed to all!
 And more seriously. we
thought it quite a coincidence that these three boats landed up side by side -
all three members of the Ocean Cruising Club. They are from left to right
Halo from Hayling Island, Scorpio, a Finnish boat and our very own JJ
Moon.
 Off to the
islands.
 Our new dinghy beached on a
deserted coral island as the tide goes out. JJ Moon in the
background.
 Rush hour in Blue Lagoon as
the back backers arrive.
And lastly, an idyllic
beach. It was a glorious anchorage.... except for the roll!
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